It is apparent from these signings that NB wants some players who can offer creative options - both passing and kicking.

This will give us the option of Robbo playing at 9 and for us to have much more to offer in the halves.

Throw 2 world class back rowers and the emerging youngsters and NB is better placed for 2010.

No doubt we are better placed, our recruitment has been strong, I am not sure about Robbo at 9, but the other options will take the preassure off him, give us far more of a kicking game and give the whole team more depth in the key pivots.

Personally I think Lunt and Fooey are the best two hookers we will be playing, maybe with Drew as the backup there.

Hopefully Fooey will get back in the country after his court case!

Faced with trying to break down and beat Saints / leeds / Wolves next year I would go with Drew over Robbo at 7 every time.

Yes, because we regularly beat Saints, Leeds and wire with Drew at halfback didnt we.

I think you are verging on trolling here MG, certainly I think your rose tinted specs are of jam jar proportions.

I think we have lacked a good kicking game throughout 2009. It one of the ways you can vary your attack and this has real implications for defending sides.

Your comparison of the Giants squad under Sharp with the squad under Brown re Brad's success it meaningless. Though incidentally we did beat Leeds in a CC semi with 2 tries coming from kicks (one by Drew).

It is regrettable that being pleased about these signings or daring to suggest that Drew may be more of a threat at 7 than Robbo is labelled 'trolling'.

Your insights about my eyewear are duly noted.

Yes, and under Brown, we beat Saints, whats your point? Yes out kicking game has been lacking since Drew (and Gene who had a sublime short kicking game) left us.

The point is Marsden, your threads arent about the merits of Drew over Robbo, but how poor Robbo is.

That might not be your intention, but thats certainly how it is reading.

Our results definitely dipped when we lost Brown. He provided the kicks over the top which produced some of our best tries this season (Cudjoe Vs Saints CC semi and David Hodgson Vs Cas away)

No so. Robbo has many qualities. they are suited to being a scooting / darting hooker. At hooker the pass options are often simpler and easier to excute and the need for a kicking game is a far lower priority. Likewise the decisions required are often more straightforward and this too would suit the way robbo plays his rugby. i think he could play like Obst does at hooker - which can be very effective - but he could do it better.

Surely Lunt is our best hooker followed by Fooey.

Will Drew really be a starter rather than a bench player ?

He has a good kicking game yes but he's hardly one for the future (34 this year). He's only one year younger than Stanley Gene's official age !

He is only with us for a year. With several players OOC in after 2010 NB will have some options available.

Drew managed 21 games last year and Bumper is a terrific conditioner.

We have some depth in the squad so there may be scope for rotation and cherry picking games for certain players.

Bumper may be a terrific conditioner but can he turn back time?

Can he find a way?

Yes.

Drew is still class and for me his best position is at 9, he seems to have so much time there and he's still pretty quick over the first 20 yards or so, his passing from dummy half is also top notch. He can control a game and is a potential match winner.

Why have none of the many coaches he has played under thought his talents are suited to hooker?

Not sure if i have missed some of his coaches out ,but i dont recall any of them seeing Robinson as a hooker.

Mike Gregory,Stuart Raper,Denis Betts,Karl Harrison,Terry Matterson,Shaun McRae

You missed out Sharp.

If you want to know what those coaches thought it may be better to ask them rather than me. Some loaned him out so they were not playing him in any position. It may be interesting to find out why such a young player has had 4 SL clubs and how many coaches renewed his contract...

The majority are nolonger SL coaches. Mcrae has long been well past his sell by date and Matterson took an international calibre hooker (Moore) and made him mediocre in weeks.HTH

I would guess,he left Wigan due to only being used when Lam was unfit and then they went out and signed Moran.Cas was on loan and he left Salford when they were relegated.

What ever the postion of his previous coaches now are,i would still back their joint knowledge of the game to decide which position a player is suited to.

Matterson was not the coach at Cstleford when they had Robinson on loan.

No but he was the coach at Cas when they had Moore.

FWIW Moore has had some fantastic games this season, but not that many, and imo absolutely doesnt deserve the hype he is getting at all.

People go on about Robbo being poor in the playoffs and the CC final, but at least he was trying...Moore might not as well have been playing for all the influence he had, personally, I am glad he is back to Saints.

As for Robbo at hooker, yeah, it can work, he will need to bulk up a bit but is otherwise a similar size to Drew but Robbos best position is scrum half, and he has been the best scrum half we have had in a good few seasons.

Was it Brad Davis? Cant remember to be honest.lol

Many of the coaches you listed have been 'average'. Hardly any coach has offered Robbo a new contract, for whatever reason.You are certainly correct that wigan preferd to bring in Moran rather than play Robbo at 7.

With reference to Drew / Wood / Grix we now have short kicking options in abundance. latst year we scored a few excellent tries of Brown kicks from set plays. Now we have players who can offer kicks in 'broken field ' situations. Also we have some differnet passing options. for example waky were much more effective in attack versus Catalans in theplay offs (compared with the Giants) because they had more variation re kicks and passing options.

Agree.

I dont see any benefit to switching Drew away from his best position at hooker to scrum half to replace Robinson and moving your best scrum half to hooker - where he hasnt been "tested".
I would also imagine you would want your scrum half out there for most of the game -- although Drews fitness is a credit to him,he isnt getting any younger and doing the full 80 each week would be a big ask,where as at hooker he can be spelled.
At Wakefield last season Drew was called upon on a few occasions to play half back and he also due to injuries had alot of game time,but without a doubt we saw the best of him at hooker when he was getting a breather.

Average enough to get themselves a position as head coaches of Super League teams.

Drew,tremendous player and good short kicking game.
Wood,jury out,not really set the world on fire at Doncaster or Sheffield.
Grix,Mr Utility,gives 100% -- passing is awful and his kicking game is below average.

And average enough to have short or declining careers as coaches. But if they are good then the fact Robbo has rarely been retained is enlightening.

My expereinec of Drew includes the season we lost our 1st 7 or so games with him at 9 and then he moved to 7 and we won 8 on the trot and reached the play offs for the first time. That was the change that transformed our season.I would expect Drew to play fewer games and higher minutes - unless injuries to others prevail. whatever numbers are on their back when BD and LR are on the field together BD will be running the show like a top 7. Wood wil probably play a few games here and there, but will offer better cover than we had in 09. If we get Grix playing like he did for Ireland + a few changes made by Nathan Brown I am sure he will offer us plenty.